The Inquirer recieved what they are calling a genuine memo issued to all staff within Microsoft relating to the recent Anthrax testing on a letter recieved by Microsoft late last week.
Microsoft Memo
"On behalf of Steve, Bill and the executive team, I want to give you an update on the mail I sent last night regarding the possible presence of anthrax bacteria in a letter received by the Microsoft office in Reno, Nevada.
"We are taking this situation very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement and health officials to ensure the safety of all our employees.
"As you will recall from my earlier mail, an initial screening had indicated the possible presence of anthrax bacteria, but a second test completed last night had come back negative. We have just learned from Nevada health officials that the third test, completed just this afternoon, has come back positive, indicating that some form of anthrax bacteria was present on the envelope or the enclosed materials.
"Unfortunately, even this third test is not conclusive. Samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, for more sensitive tests which will determine whether there is any risk to our employees or anyone else. We are told by health officials that if these CDC tests come back negative, there is no health risk to any of our employees or anyone else.
"If the test comes back positive, health officials tell us that there is virtually no risk to anyone other than the small number of employees who came into direct contact with the material, since person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely.
News source: The Inquirer
Microsoft Memo
"On behalf of Steve, Bill and the executive team, I want to give you an update on the mail I sent last night regarding the possible presence of anthrax bacteria in a letter received by the Microsoft office in Reno, Nevada.
"We are taking this situation very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement and health officials to ensure the safety of all our employees.
"As you will recall from my earlier mail, an initial screening had indicated the possible presence of anthrax bacteria, but a second test completed last night had come back negative. We have just learned from Nevada health officials that the third test, completed just this afternoon, has come back positive, indicating that some form of anthrax bacteria was present on the envelope or the enclosed materials.
"Unfortunately, even this third test is not conclusive. Samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, for more sensitive tests which will determine whether there is any risk to our employees or anyone else. We are told by health officials that if these CDC tests come back negative, there is no health risk to any of our employees or anyone else.
"If the test comes back positive, health officials tell us that there is virtually no risk to anyone other than the small number of employees who came into direct contact with the material, since person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely.
News source: The Inquirer
"The individuals who have had direct contact with the letter are currently undergoing testing, and will receive all appropriate medical attention.
Because the risk of person-to-person spread is so low, the Health Department does not feel further testing is necessary for staff who did not have direct contact with these materials.
"We have a team of people on the ground in Nevada to work with local officials and provide the highest level of support and care to all of our employees, both the limited number who may have been directly affected by this situation and all of their co-workers who are obviously concerned and upset by this news. We are also working to identify any employees from Redmond or other sites who might have visited the Reno site during the affected time period, to get them the information they need.
"We recognize that this situation is potentially unsettling, but I would urge everyone to wait for the final test results before drawing any conclusions.
I want to assure everyone at Microsoft that we are taking all prudent steps to deal with the situation and will provide you with additional updates as soon as we have new, confirmed information."
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